Three Years Married

Yesterday we celebrated our third year of marriage. Crazy to think that we are three years in - and even crazier when you think about we have only lived together for about half of that. I think that is one reason why it doesn't feel like we have been married that long... That reason combined with I really am so much happier with Adam makes these last three years seem like three minutes. I am SO lucky to have Adam as my best friend and my husband. And I will spare you the mushy post for now... but know that I couldn't have found a more perfect man for me. And now keeping up with traditions I am going to share our third year by the numbers.

 

During our third year of marriage...

1 brand new home purchase
0 children
1 puppy
132 days apart
2 new jobs for Deidre
1 baseball card for Adam
45 innings pitched
1 allstar team for Adam
4 trips to see Adam - one in AZ, three in AL
1 move to Idaho
155 baseball games
4 trips and vacations
44 strikeouts for Adam
2,228 miles between us during baseball season
dozens of date nights
hundreds of selfies
thousands of minutes texting, FaceTiming, and talking
millions of memories and laughs

You can catch our first year in number and our second year in numbers too. Can't wait to see what year four brings us. I have a gut feeling it is going to be a big one in the Miller home.

Love Completes Each Other

A little while ago my friend Tausha asked if I would participate in her Love Dare channel. She assigned me with Day 33: Love Completes Each Other. The pages themselves talk about how we are separate and individual. As a husband and a wife we are two totally different human beings with different skills, different families, and different personalities - but when we combine we can find strength and progress as a whole. The date for the day was to recognize that your spouse is integral to your future success. Let them know today that you desire to include them in your upcoming decisions, and that you need their perspective and counsel. If you have ignored their input in the past, admit your oversight and ask them to forgive you.

While I was excited to see what dare she would give me, when I opened the email I thought to myself, this could not be more perfect for Adam and me. I have always known that through a thoughtful Heavenly Father I would be put through different trails and successes to make me the person I am. I would have the ups and I would highs and I would have the lows, that is part of being here on earth, and everyone can attest to that. But I have never totally thought about how my highs and lows would become a perfect fit for my spouse's highs and lows. That our experience before we met would prepare us for each other and that somehow, so perfectly, we would be each other's rock through it all. I always just thought of it as some give and take, but it is give and take with the strength from a mightier power.

There have been many times that something has gone completely wrong and upside down for one of us, in turn making it a huge point of discussion and topic in our marriage. Because now we are not two, we are simply one. And when something happens to one of us, it happens to both of us. When I got laid off, we lost our income. When Adam for drafted, we had a life in minor league baseball. When I got a job offer in Idaho, we moved together. And when Adam got an arm injury, we had to discuss options in case things didn't work out the way we had planned. And right away we knew we needed to create a plan to make a strong marriage through times of decision, so no matter what was in front of us we were a united force.

Discuss what the problem is. We decided it was important to really discuss everything that happened. Every option. Every success. Every failure. Everything and anything that could contribute to what got us into the place we were now. We wanted to make sure we both fully understood what the other person was going through. Because if we didn't know that we would not be to give our input into solutions. Plus, just being able to get inside the other person's though process and really understand helps to be empathetic.

Discuss solutions. And when I say solutions, I mean it as solutions. Don't just think of one solution and run with it. Really make sure you consider all your options, and discuss every option. As you do that make sure you present and concerns with things being brought up. Be honest and be forward with how you feel. Don't let one person drive the conversation and you resent them later. Make sure you are on the same page through all the solution conversation.

Remember that you will need to compromise. Once you have a few options, narrow it down to one solution. The one that feels best and is most reasonable for both of you. There will be a lot of give and take here, because while no answer is perfect one answer will be perfect for both of you with compromise.

Pray about your choice. Prayer is important in our family, and for some people prayer might come in the form of talking to someone or journaling and really pondering it. But for us, we pray. Once we have a choice we pray about it to see if we get the good feels about what we decided. We pray together and we pray individually over multiple days. Then we come back together and discuss any thoughts or impressions that we have had over our choice during that time.

Agree and move forward. This is the most important part. Once you have done all the discussing and pondering together and on your own, come back together one last time and make sure you both still agree. Then move forward. Don't look back on other options, just move forward and know that you made that choice as a team and it was the right one.

Marriage is a team sport. And through his strengths and her strengths you become a team that can win, but only when you put your trust and love into your what your spouse has to offer. Only then can you become one complete unit, a game winning team. I can honestly say that Adam has been my rock through some of the hardest times, and I think he would say the same thing for me. When we see one person softening and weakening, we become strong for them to help lift them and raise them. Because our team, our marriage, is only as strong as we make it. It is only as strong as we let it be. Sometimes Adam will carry me through the storm and sometimes I will lead him, but that makes us strong. And that is where our love steps in to complete each other.

Paint Nite

This little gem has been tucked away in my drafts for four months. Way too long. I am just slow at getting things off my camera these days. And once I got these ones off I took a sabatoical. Also coming soon are photos from our anniversary in August. Just pretend all of this happened really recently, yeah? So this is a date that I mentioned in our anniversary questionnaire a while back. Our date night at Paint Nite. We always take turns planning date night. Usually mine revolves around whatever treat I want and something that Adam swears he would never want to do - like pedicures, which he loved. Okay, that is not totally true, but that was one date I planned over his time home to rehab his arm. Adam's is usually something far more creative. He is really good at searching out the fun things in the area. And one thing he found was called Paint Nite. How it works - you sign up online for a class based on the photo you want to paint. It is usually at a restaurant so you can eat and drink while you paint. We botched that one when we went to Costa Vida first, but Costa was oh so good. They give you a smock, a canvas, and all the paints. Oh, and an instructor to make sure you know what you are doing. The painting for the night we went was the Boston skyline.

We had so much fun cozied in a booth trying to figure out how to paint and be artists. And what do you know? I think our paintings turned out pretty well. Apparently we do have some artistic ability. Well, we already knew Adam did... just ask him about his fish - or if you ever come to our house look in the main bathroom because we always hang it in there so most guests will see it. It was fun to get some new artwork, to try something different, and try out our hand in painting. These beauties will be going into our guest room at the new house. So when you come visit us you can see them up close and personal. Have you ever gone out on a crafty date? What is the favorite date you have gone on?

What Distance Has Taught Me

Two years isn't long. A lot of people would still consider Adam and I newlyweds. Or just barely out of the newlywed phase. But as we are preparing to celebrate our anniversary I have been reflecting a lot. I have been using the last month specifically to reflect. And at the end of the day, here is what distance has taught me. A long distance relationship and a long distance marriage. About love. About trust and communication. And most of all about what a relationship really is.

I can tie it back, all my thoughts and all my reflection, to what I would consider the hardest month of my marriage, actually my life, so far. And it has a million lessons in it. The week started with my breaking my blog. Seems like a really silly thing to be upset about. But I was. Seriously, all my posts all my everything had disappeared while I was trying to switch my URL to my new brand. It was like at night. like 11pm... which means it was 2am where Adam was. And he had already been asleep for a few hours. I text him probably ten times. And then I called him time and time again until he picked up. And when he finally did I couldn't even speak. I was crying hysterically. After about 20 minutes of me sobbing and Adam saying, "There must be a backup somewhere... things dont just disappear." I started to tapper off. I got so tired I just needed to go to bed. We prayed over the phone for comfort, and I was out like a light.

Next day. Blog still broken. I frantically got in contact with my hosting company. They fixed it. So, why stop there? Onto the next issue.

Work. I had work. And I had been struggling with my job to begin with. I had a few rough patches here and there. I wasn't sure if I was made for the job I was doing. I went in to meet with my boss. And she told me I wasn't acting like I was made for the job. It was a low blow for me. To be totally honest, I have never had to work that hard. That sounds silly when I say it out loud. But things have been pretty easy for me. So to hear that a job that I was killing myself to do, and it was so rough for me wasn't panning out. Low. Blow. Oh, and to end that conversation? My boss told me I wouldn't be able to take time off to go see my husband for our anniversary because someone else had already requested it off. Which meant I wouldn't see Adam for another almost two months. I walked to my office feeling sick. And embarrassed. And just beat down. I text Adam, "Can you talk?" And he said, "Yeah." So I picked up and I dialed. And once again. I cried. And cried. I started with telling Adam how I couldn't do my job. And I ended with telling him I wouldn't be coming to visit him for our anniversary.

Now this work issue carried for a few days. I cried that night. I talked to my parents. I cried. I talked to anyone. I cried. The fact that I felt defeated at work was hard enough, but knowing that I wouldn't see my husband for a long time really beat me down. Like ripped me apart. And even though I was at my lowest low, Adam took the time to talk to me every minute he could. To build me up. And even though I didn't listen, he kept trying. We prayed. We talked. And I hoped I would get the strength from somewhere.

On a regular basis I still get anxious at work, like am I going to do something that upsets someone? Are they going to be watching me so closely so I mess up? But that is beside the point. I am at a point now where I can really work hard. And I am learning to deal with a job that has kicked me down the stairs ten times. Then there was the flooded house. Then there was the medicine that made me so ill. Then there was Adam's arm which appears to be injured slightly again. Then there was I am sure other things that I can't even remember.

It might just sound like I am rambling at this point. But I am getting to the point right now. So why am I telling you about the hardest times I have experienced so far? Because it all lends a part to the story of the time apart for Adam and I. Because if you remember, Adam and I are living in different states right now. And so all these trials are happening while we are 1800 miles apart. And this distance is teaching me valuable lessons.

Marriage is a lot more than the time together. So often I have women tell me, "I could never be apart from my husband that long." Or something like, "We've only ever been apart 10 days in our whole 5 years being married!" And while the time together is something wonderful, the time apart it teaching me to appreciate Adam.

The distance has taught me the importance of communication. And not just the, how was your day, lets eat dinner and cuddle while we watch TV communication. But the real communication. The discussions about hard things like what are we going to do if this career path we picked doesn't work out or what is the root cause of you being so grump and irritated right now? We can't just kiss and makeup and hope that tomorrow both of us will be over it. Because we don't have those options. We have to actually sit down and discuss and communicate our thoughts and feelings.

We have to open up about our hard days. We can't just say, "My day has been hard because of x, y, and z and just being with you is going to make it better." Because when x, y, and z happen... we only have the option to talk about it. And really explain that those things happened because of something we are doing, or not doing, and we have to be honest with ourselves too. And then together we figure out solutions for things.

The distance has taught me to be up front, even if it might not be Adam's favorite thing to hear. I am the queen of telling people things are fine when they are not. Of down playing my anger and my disappoint. And when we are apart I try to do it even more. Because I don't want Adam to feel guilty for leaving me home alone in the summer. I want him to enjoy his time and I want him to think everything is wonderful here. But I have learned, despite what other people suggest, to wear it all on my sleeve. To tell Adam when I am unhappy. And when things are rough. And when I just wish so badly I could be with him, because it makes us appreciate the great times even more. And it helps us learn how to manage the hard times even.

But most of all, the distance has taught me to appreciate the time I do get with my husband. The face time. The one on one time. The small moments. The little laughs. The silly memories. The dates. The hold hands. The kisses. The meals cooked. The times he does the dishes because he knows I hate doing them. I appreciate those things more than I ever would because I don't always get to look over, see his face a few feet from mine, and reach for his hand.

Distance has taught me that in order to be the best couple, we have to be our best selves. We have to open up and be completely raw and real with our feelings and our insecurities. Because the only way I am going to be better is if Adam and I can talk through what I need to do to be better. And what steps I need from him, while he is 1800 miles away to support me in that. Marriage is about trust, planning, and support beyond words of comfort.

I Said Yes

Two years ago Adam sent me to get a crack apple and I came home with a diamond. One of the best nights of my life is when I said yes. Now someone, tell me how I got so lucky? You can watch a recap of our engagement from me here or read Adam's side here. But if you don't feel like clicking around here is my side of the story...

Bret text me and asked me to do a favor, Adam said he has a PPI, so I figured why not? Plus I had 200 calories left on my count for the day and so Adam said we could get a crack apple and I could have two pieces of it. When Adam left to get ready for his PPI I went to RMCF to pick up something for Bret. I walked in, waited in line, and when it was my turn I said, “I need to pick up something for Bret and I need to buy an apple also.” The girl smiled and said, “Oh! You actually get one for free, which do you want?” and then she handed me an envelope. I thought… this isn’t an apple… and then I thought… oh my gosh. THIS IS HAPPENING! I opened the letter while she got my Reeses apple and cut it… The letter read “don’t get any assumptions, come to me!”so I did. I drove to Rock Canyon Park, the entire time check my pulse and thinking to myself, is Adam playing a trick or is this really happening? When I got to Rock Canyon Park I text Adam, “Where are you?” he said he was at the South pavilion so I walked that way and saw him standing there smiling. I just hugged him and looked at him as he walked me over to the opposite end of the pavilion to a table. There were flowers, candles, another note, and a big white board that said “Yes” and “No” with huge check boxes. I pointed to the note and said, “Do I read this?” and he said “yes!” I opened the letter and read it. Immediately my eyes started to water. It was the most beautiful letter. It said why he wanted to marry me and why he loved me, later I asked if he wrote it because he might cry saying it and he said, “No… I just wanted you to have that letter forever!” At the end of the note it said “When you get here give me the thumbs up”, I turned to Adam and gave him the thumbs up and he knelt down on one knee and said the words, “Deidre, will you marry me?” I started crying and said yes, he stood up and gave me a hug “I hope those are happy tears!” “they are REALLY happy tears!” He put the ring on my finger. Then Gloria came out of the bushes to take a few photos and say her congratulations. After she left we just talked and he told me how the proposal went and we called and text our family and friends.

I am married to the most perfect man for me. I am reminded every day of how hard working he is and how much he loves me. And while I have my flaws and neither of us are perfect, it works. Because we are in love, and we put our relationships in the hands of trust, love, and communication instead of the hands of doubt and flaws. Every single day I am happy I said yes to this man. Even through the hardest of times, I wake up happy knowing I am married to Adam.

Find A Girl Who...

My wife and I are approaching twenty-one months of being married. She is a Banquet Manager at a fancy Marriott Hotel in downtown Phoenix. I am a minor league pitcher trying to fulfill a lifelong dream. Due to my career choice, my wife and I are unable to spend the summer months together. The financial situation doesn’t permit. After having been apart for multiple months of our marriage, I have come to the conclusion that I have married the most perfect girl for me. I have also come to the realization that when choosing with whom to spend the rest of your life and forever with, not every person is a perfect fit.

Before I continue, I want to claim that I am no expert in marriage. BUT, from my perspective, there are characteristics that my wife possesses that make being married the best experience of my life. So, for all you bachelors out there, feel free to use these tips how you wish when considering who to date and who to marry.

Find a girl who makes you second: The most attractive characteristic of my wife is the fact that I am second in her life. God and Jesus Christ are first and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Knowing that she has her mind and priorities set on something beyond this life has made all the difference in our marriage.

Choose a girl who makes you second in her life. You will come to appreciate it when times get tough. Heck, coming in second to God and Christ aint a bad finish at all.

Find a girl who makes you better: The purpose of marriage is to become better together. There is no point in dating a girl who doesn’t make that better and who easily falls for cheesy pick up lines from every other guy.. Constructive comments? Learn it. Uplifting remarks? Do it. Couple analysis? Love it. At the end of the day, there is no better feeling than looking back on a relationship and realizing how much you have progressed as a person and as a couple.

Feeling like you have to constantly win a girl over, not because she is dating fifteen other guys, but because she is that big of a ‘keeper’, its pretty awesome.

Find a girl who is frugal with money: When was the last time I saw my wife wearing designer jeans? Never. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to have designer jeans. But, it is nice to know my wife understands that at this point in our marriage, expensive things aren’t important. Having a wife who is able to analyze purchases from all angles has paid huge dividends already in our short marriage.

If you are dating a girl who has food as her number one expense, she definitely passes the ‘frugal’ check.

Find a girl who has hobbies: A girl who has hobbies is like finding vanilla ice cream at the bottom of your snow cone…Clutch! My wife has, what I consider, the coolest blog around. It helps her create relationships with people, in addition to the millions she already has (no lie, she has more friends than anybody I’ve ever met). It’s something that helps her take her mind off work at the end of the day.

A girl who has hobbies makes a relationship and marriage so much better. If anything, find a girl who has a bucket list and puts some effort in to checking things off.

Find a girl who has dreams and aspirations: Since the day my wife and I got married, she has maintained her personal dreams and aspirations as well as those she had for when she got married. The fact that my wife continues to dream and work towards those dreams is one of the most attractive things about her. Just because we got married doesn’t change the fact that she wants to travel around the world.

The nice thing guys, is that when you aren’t cooperating, maybe a hobby will until you decide to. It’s a plus.

Dating and marriage is one of the best things in life. What makes it better is when you are dating the right person. As I said, I am no marriage expert. I have an amazing marriage and thought I’d share some attributes of my significant other that has made our marriage so awesome.

My Husband

After how these last few weeks again I would feel incredibly embarrassed if I didn't publicly thank my husband. So if you aren't into reading about other people's marriage, I would say steer clear of this post.

Most of you know that my husband plays professional baseball. And that he is on the road, in a different state from April until September playing baseball and pursuing a dream that he has worked so hard for. Some of you have sent me encouraging notes and told me things like, "You are so strong." Or, "I don't know how you do it." But this week on one of the most boring and sad nights since he left, I had a realization... the only reason I am able to be so supportive is because of the person I am supporting.

Adam is the most wonderful man and he takes time every day to show me how appreciative he is of me and of our marriage. He takes time to show me support in the job that I have, the same way that I show him support. Last year was a learning experience for us. We learned what things were not helping a long distance marriage.. and while I was nervous going into a second year of baseball, Adam has calmed all my nerves. He remembers what things were hard for me last year and he has done everything in his power to make it easier for me. Every morning I wake up to a call or FaceTime from him. Every night ends with scriptures and prayer over the phone or through Google+. And the moments in between are never dull. They are filled with plenty of selfies, short phone calls, random photos, tweets... you name it and he does it. He lets me know every day how much he loves me. Sometimes I wonder how the heck I got someone so wonderful! Because let me tell you something, I really lucked out.

And because of the man I am married to it is easy to be strong and supportive. It is a lot easier to live those months apart when he makes me feel special states away. It is a lot easier to live those months apart when I know he is working so hard and that this journey isn't in vain. It is incredible what you can accomplish when you are supporting someone you love. I certainly never thought this would be my life, but I am lucky it is... because this time apart is making us stronger. And I love Adam more and more every single day.

Family Night at the Ballpark

Spring training has been good to us. We've been taking advantage of Adam's connections and my new love for baseball to spend our family night at the ballpark. Which you think would drive Adam crazy since he is there for at least nine hours a day, seven days a week already... but nope. He loves it. I guess he picked the right profession, eh?

So for the last couple Mondays we either drove out together or met there after Adam had a late day to enjoy the sights and sounds of a Spring Training game. I could really get used to this. Within the next few years maybe I will be coming out to the Diamondbacks' games to watch Adam! Hopefully this week we can go at least once more before Adam leaves for the summer in just 6 short days. I'm going to miss him, but it looks like my summer will be full of road trips to support the man that I love to much. Where have you been spending your family nights? What is your favorite activity to do?

An AZ Weekend

It was a quick trip. But I must say, I think I will like Arizona. I learned that you can tell a lot about a state by it's highway. Arizona has a clean highway, cleaner than I thought it would. And the drivers seem relatively reasonable, unlike some states I have lived in. The whole trip started with a rental car drive to go pick up Adam... and in those first few moments on the road I knew I could be happy living there someday. 

Our weekend started with a trip to the mall. Apparently there were some awesome sales that Adam wanted me to hit up. So I did. Because he told me I "had to get something"... okay, okay. Don't twist my arm! He said he has been there at least once a week, if not three or four times, because that is what his teammates like to do. And he wasn't lying. Within 30 minutes of being there we ran into some fellow Diamondback guys. 

After the mall it was time to check in to the hotel. Change up. And head out for dinner and the game.

Adam loves driving rental cars. And I love Adam driving any car. As long as I get to sit next to him. He doesn't love me taking his photo though... Ha. We were going to grab dinner downtown so we went to the first place that looked fun. And we lucked out with it being Arizona Restaurant Week and the place we picked was participating! So we got to try out a delicious three course meal. The desserts were to die for. Salted caramel pudding, everyone. You must try it.

Then after dinner a quick walk back to Chase Field (sadly we missed the opening of the roof) to catch the Diamondbacks in action! My first MLB game. I cannot wait until Adam is playing there. And I will eat one million ballpark pretzels. Mark my words. We had pretty good seats because Adam's high school teammate it a big leaguer and he hooked us up! Thanks bro.

Then home and to bed because Adam had practice at 8 AM the next morning. And I was a sleepy goose. So Adam went to practice and I slept in and then watched ESPN until he got home. Winning. After that it was brunch at Paradise, walking around a different mall, swinging by his team hotel to pick up a gift card and his friend Steve, a tour of the JW Marriott Desert Ridge (which is INCREDIBLE), then more mall, and then dropping Steve back at the hotel. Adam and I were going to try and go to a movie, but decided to call it a night. So we grabbed some Sprinkles Cupcakes because I was dying to try them and headed home to relax and get Adam caught up on Pretty Little Liars.

Then off to bed around 11PM so I could get up and catch an EARLY flight home. Which included a small panic attack because I needed to return the rental car to a different airport than I was flying out of. Do you think I will ever learn to read fine print? Luckily Adam is a champ and took care of it all for me. And now I am home in Utah. And Adam is too, because while I was in AZ he got the good news he was cleared to come home! Which was the VERY best birthday gift I could have EVER ever in my whole life asked for. Home is wherever Adam is. And I am looking forward to when we make Arizona our home.

All Cleared

Today is a lucky day.

Because guess what?

Even though I have loved Skyping this guy every night...

I don't have to now!

Because Adam got cleared and he is home with me!

And that is the perfect birthday gift!

I get my husband and I don't have to be alone on my birthday.

Can't wait to celebrate the big 2-5 with my man tomorrow.

Paper Anniversary || Part Two

Like I said, our anniversary was spent with a lot of baseball. I loved being at the field with Adam. I got to watch three games in Montana, and I met a lot of wonderful people while I was there. Two of the games Adam was in the chairs charting and one of them he started! It was perfect timing. I love seeing Adam pitch. You can just tell how dedicated he is.

Adam is such a wonderful role model. He has made a lot of friends on his team and with the fans because of his friendly personality and his example. Fans are always coming to talk to him after the game. People just gravitate to Adam. It is so impressive. I feel very lucky to have married a man that is hard working in his sport, in his relationships, and in his example.

It was so wonderful to meet his teammates and the people that work at field and have become Adam's family. I loved meeting the fans. There are three couples with season tickets, and I sat by them ever single night. They are a hoot. They told me that they thought Adam looked like Buddy Holly the first night. the next night they brought him a Buddy Holly CD, Buddy's bio, and a headshot of him that said "Adam Miller AKA Buddy Holly". And the last night they talked the people that run the press box into playing a Buddy Holly song for Adam's walkout. It was so funny. But it might have helped Adam and I pick our new Halloween costume from Wezer's song Buddy Holly... Buddy Holly and Mary Tyler Moore! Oh, and they told me I look like Brad Paisley's wife.

A Paper Anniversary || Part One

A little over a week ago I was able to make the trek up to Montana to celebrate one wonderful year with my husband. It was so fun to see Adam, to see where he has been living this summer, to meet the people who cheer for him, to meet the people that take care of him, and to see him pitch. 

My flight left at 5:00 PM on Friday afternoon. I left work around 3:00 PM to finishing packing up. Not only did I need to pack my normal stuff for three days away, but I also packed Adam's gift and the top tier of our wedding cake! And I fit it all in ONE carry on ( I don't believe in checking bags for trips less than four days) bag, which I would say is pretty darn impressive.

When I got there I checked into the hotel, changed my clothes, and headed over to the field. Adam's team was in the third inning when I got there. But lucky for me, he was charting so I got to sit a row behind him rather than wait to see him when the game ended. After the game it was a quick dinner with the team and then off to celebrate with cake, cider, and gifts.

Look at that cake! Can you believe it travelled so well? I was pretty impressed. And I also need you to know.. the cake was SO yummy. Whoever said year old cake tastes bad clearly didn't package their cake well. And Adam got cider and fancy glasses for the party. Cute, right?

So. Per the title.. a paper anniversary. Why paper you ask? Tradition. Adam and I love a good tradition. Which is why he didn't see my wedding dress until the wedding. We saved our top tier to eat on the 1st anniversary. And now we will incorporate traditions into our anniversaries. Traditionally, each wedding anniversary is celebrated by giving a gift made from a different material. The first anniversary is symbolized with paper, and subsequently anniversary gifts become more precious or scarce to reflect the growing number of years a couple has remained together. So for our 1st anniversary, we agreed to incorporate paper somehow.

Luckily for me Adam had mentioned some paper items he wanted.

We had been talking a few weeks prior about books and baseball and history.

He mentioned how he really wished he knew more baseball history and wanted

baseball books about the greats. Done and done.

I got him three books to start off his collection and 50 handwritten notes.

 As always.... I am a little bit more difficult to shop for.

Adam did a wonderful job though. And I was so impressed.

First he got me new running shoes (for the third time) but this time I kept them!

He also got my a beautiful cameo locket.

Last of all, to include paper, he got me a message in a bottle.

It had some of the most beautiful words, and as you can tell from the picture on the right...

I cried.

It was perfect.

And so clever, how the heck is he so creative?

 All in all, it was better than I could have ever hope.

Baseball. A wonderful Jaker's lunch.

More baseball. A drive around town.

Meeting friends and fans.

Seeing where he lives.

And just spending time with the love of my life.

Our Year In Numbers

1 beautiful sealing in the Salt Lake Temple
2 receptions
7 days honeymooning
0 children
2 homes
3 cougar tails
4 different hairstyles for Deidre
1 layoff
2 new jobs - one for each of us
113 baseball games
2 baseball numbers for Adam
15 trips to In N Out... at least
57 lunch dates
1 baseball draft and professional contract
7 different trips and vacations
1 surprise trip from Deidre
8 surprise flower bouquets from Adam
95 days apart
569 between us during baseball season
dozens of date nights
hundreds of photos
thousands of cell phone minutes & text messages
millions of memories and laughs

8.16.12

Today I am heading to Missoula! To see Adam for the first time in a month. And to celebrate our ONE YEAR anniversary. You can celebrate with us by watching our wedding video. And enjoy seeing the beginning of our eternity.

8.16.12 from Deidre Miller on Vimeo.
I cannot wait to share with you what I got for Adam! And share with you how our cake topper tastes one year later. But for now... have the BEST friday and a happy 8.16! And I will be back next week.

Our Story || Part Seven

Our Story \\ Part I \\ Part II \\ Part III \\ Part IV \\ Part V \\ Part VI

So I said, "What?" And Adam text back to say he could come with us to The Haunted Forest. So we head out on a date, which I planned to pay for since I invited him, but he paid. And through the whole first half of the scaryness he held my hand tight. But as soon as we exited to wait in the next line, he let go. And I was so sad. So I decided it was over. And I decided I would just make the best of the time I had with him.

But about halfway through the wait he looked at me, straight in the eyes, and he pulled me into his arms, and he said, "You are so pretty." And from there to the end of the Haunted Forest he held my hand and he held me close. And even when we left all things haunted and spooky. He kept holding on. And then the rest is history. One week later we were Facebook official. One month later we said I love you. He came to Idaho to see my home. He left to the Dominican for Thanksgiving week and we couldn't talk much if at all. I went to meet his whole family over New Years. Five months later he asked and I said yes. And then three months after that we were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple for time and eternity.

That might seem like a really quick end to our story. After all that buildup and hype.  And I realize that I left out a lot of dating details... only because those dates don't make up our story. It was everything leading up to that. After all the drama and things that went wrong... it came together really quickly. But that is because I knew it was right and I didn't want to put things off anymore. And Adam felt the same way. And when nothing seemed like it was going to work out, somehow it did. And I am happier for it. 

I love him more every single day. I couldn't have found a man more considerate and caring than Adam. He knows how to respect not only a woman, but everyone he meets. And he knows how to make me feel like the most special girl in the world. He can always make me smile, even when the world seems to be plotting against me... and even better, I get more laughing side-aches and happy tears than I have ever gotten before. I am lucky to have him as my other half.

And we are living happily ever after.

Our Story || Part Six

Our Story \\ Part I \\ Part II \\ Part III \\ Part IV \\ Part V

A few hours later Adam text me back, he was at practice but he would call me later. He called me within seconds of me walking in the door from work. I asked if we could talk in person, and when he got back from campus he stopped by.

Isn't he just so handsome in a uniform?

I felt like I had a lot of explaining to do... at the first of our relationship I was really aggressive. Mostly because I knew Adam was a good guy and I knew there were lots of girls in our ward pursuing him, even if he didn't realize it. But with all the girls pursuing him I wanted to be his first choice. But what I didn't realize was, first, that Adam would be so ready for a relationship and that me being aggressive would make me be the one he would want it with. And my second realization once he was ready to start something, I didn't totally know if I was ready to date someone again. I had gotten out of a long relationship only two weeks before I met Adam. Yeah... I pushed really hard for Adam. I wanted him to notice me. But at the same time, there were guys pursuing me, and I didn't totally know if I was ready to give that up... because I didn't know what I wanted. And I was confused. I was sort of mean to Adam. And I took for granted the guy that he was. I kept telling him I "needed time" even though I kept dating him... because I was dating other guys too. One of those guys being my ex-boyfriend for some odd reason. But Adam didn't know any of that. To him, I was just messing with his head... I don't know. I guess I was, because I couldn't communicate my feeling very well. Because I couldn't understand them very well. Either way... I needed to put it all together in my head. I needed to tell Adam that through the last couple weeks I had slowly ended things with each guy and that is why I was taking so long to get back to him on whether or not I was really ready to date. When he got to my apartment the nerves really set in.

The conversation was long. But to sum it up. I told him I was wrong. Because I was. I told him that I was not sure of my feelings and where I was before due to my recent break up. I told him I missed him. And I told him that I wanted another chance because I still really cared for him. After me pouring and pouring out my feelings. Adam told me he still had feelings for me but I really hurt him. And that it would take time for anything to happen, but he was willing to talk and things would get better. He headed home early that night to get some rest for his scrimmage the next day.

The next day my roommate and I head over to his game. He pitched one inning and did awesome. And I text him after to tell him he was great and asked if he wanted to come over for a little bit. Little did he know he was walking into a trap. My roommate and I decided we would invite him to the Haunted Forest with us that evening, even though we knew he already had a date. When he came over my roommate so brilliantly cornered him and made him feel like he should come. But he said no, no, and no again.

About an hour later I get a text from Adam, "Guess what?"

To be continued...

Our Story || Part Five

Our Story \\ Part I \\ Part II \\ Part III \\ Part IV

I told Adam to come over and lets talk. I had decided the night before after a particurally bad date and a long conversation with my roommate I was ready to get into a real relationship with Adam and I was going to tell him. But Adam came over and, before I could say anything, said, "I'm done."

One of the happier moments before, what we like to call, "The Off Week".

My heart stopped. All I could say was, "Well, I was going to tell you I was ready to date you." And basically from there on it went back and forth. He said no, I said yes, he said he couldn't do it anymore, I cried and asked him to change his mind. And then eventually I had to let it go and figure out what I was going to do. I talked to his roommate about it. I talked to my roommate about it. I talked to my family. I talked to his teammate. I went to the temple every night. I cried a lot. And then I decided... I needed to talk to Adam. No more waiting. No more games. It was now or never. And I needed him to know I was going to work hard and I was going to win him this time! And not only that.. I was going to ask him on a date.

So I text him, "Hey, can we talk?"

To Be Continued....